Chief Science Officers: A Strategy for Student Awareness and Industry Engagement

这个面向教师和学生的创新技术体验项目提供了一个创新的新模式，以提高学生对STEM职业的兴趣，并与亚利桑那州6-12年级的青少年积极参与商业和行业合作伙伴。首席科学官（CSO）项目扩展了学生政府的模式，在每所参与的中学或高中选择一名或几名青少年，他们将支持全校范围内对STEM的兴趣、参与和交流。在校园里，公民社会组织会为演讲、实地考察和科学之夜寻找机会。在校外，公民社会组织将参与社区论坛，并作为STEM社区倡议的关键人物。主要交付成果包括公民社会组织培训、持续的指导、媒体材料/指南和持续的社区规划。在这个为期三年的项目中，每年约有100所学校和200个公民社会组织参与。许多企业将参加辅导和社区活动。这项研究将深入了解，对一小部分精选青年群体的投资如何能够为更大的学生群体和社区带来可衡量的结果。关键的研究问题是：学校中CSO的存在是否显著提高了普通学生对STEM的兴趣？社区内活跃的公民社会组织是否会增加企业和行业的参与？结果将采用准实验，前后设计，治疗组4000名参与者和对照组1000名参与者。

This Innovative Technology Experience for Teachers and Students project provides an innovative new model for increasing student interest in STEM careers and active engagement of business and industry partners with grade 6-12 aged youth in Arizona. The Chief Science Officers (CSO) program expands on the student government model to select one or several youth at each participating middle or high school who would champion campus-wide interest, engagement and communication in STEM. On campus, CSOs would identify opportunities for speakers, field trips, and science nights. Off campus, CSOs would participate in community forums and function as the point person for community initiatives in STEM. Key deliverables include CSO training, on-going mentoring, media materials/guides, and on-going community programming. Approximately 100 schools and 200 CSOs will be involved each year of the 3-year project. Numerous businesses will participate in mentoring and community events. The research would provide insights into how the investment in a small and select group of youth can achieve measurable results for a much larger population of students and communities. Key research questions are: Does the presence of a CSO within a school significantly raise interest in STEM among the general student body? Does the active cohort of CSOs within a community increase participation of businesses and industries? Outcomes will be measured using a quasi-experimental, pre-post design with a treatment group of 4000 participants and a control group of 1000.